A War On My Body
A War On My Body
by Paxton Smith, Gloria Allred, Wendy Davis, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Judie Saunders, Sadie Hernandez
Release Date: January 2022
A War on My Body; A War on My Rights––a profoundly personal and collaborative book led by Texas high school Valedictorian Paxton Smith, with contributions from numerous reproductive rights activists and public personalities, including renowned women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred, reproductive and immigrant justice warrior Sadie Hernandez, New York Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, victims rights attorney Judie Saunders and former Texas Senator Wendy Davis. The book will be released on January 22, 2022 ––49 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to protect a pregnant woman's rights to abortion in the landmark Roe vs. Wade case.
A riveting, educational, and powerful assemblage from a multitude of global leaders, entertainers, educators, medical and legal professionals spanning several generations and walks of life. A War on My Body; A War on My Rights chronicles the history of abortion rights, its role in gender equality and its cruciality to healthcare infrastructure while offering a mosaic of raw, passionate perspective of the crisis concerning women's reproductive rights and the dire impending consequences should the right to choose wane in the United States and on a global scale. It is a tribute to leadership and advocacy, illuminating the voices of those willing to take a stand on an issue that has long been cloaked in controversy and dishonor.
*All profits of the book will be directed towards The Afiya Center whose mission is to serve Black women and girls by transforming their relationship with their sexual and reproductive health through addressing the consequences of reproduction oppression.*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paxton Smith graduated in 2021 as valedictorian from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas and was the valedictorian this year. When giving her valedictorian address, Paxton chose to forgo her previously planned speech and instead address the recent passing of the “Heartbeat bill” into Texas law, which prohibits abortion after a fetal heartbeat and excludes exceptions for incest or rape.
Smith’s address went viral, shared and retweeted thousands and thousands of times, giving Smith the opportunity to be a voice for her generation of women and future generations to come.
Gloria Allred is an American women's rights attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Gloria Allred
Sadie Hernandez is a reproductive and immigrant justice organizer, writer, public speaker, and digital communications specialist. She currently works at United We Dream doing youth-focused communications about elections, and immigration rights in Texas. Her work has been highlighted in TeenVogue, Cosmopolitan, Yahoo, CNN, Neta, and Broadly.
Sadie Hernandez
Wendy Russell Davis an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Fort Worth, Texas. Davis represented the 10th district in the Texas Senate from 2009 to 2015. She was previously on the Fort Worth City Council and was the Democratic nominee for Texas governor in 2014. She is a public speaker and political commentator, as well as the founder of Deeds Not Words, a non-profit for engaging young women in politics.
Wendy Davis
Judie Saunders has over 20 years of legal experience with a unique focus on representing survivors of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse. After working as a New York City trial attorney and in the office of Mayer Michael Bloomberg, Judie dedicated her legal career to helping individuals reclaim their voice, agency over their body, and to holding abusive authority figures accountable.
Judie Saunders
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New York's 12th congressional district since 2013, and for New York's 14th congressional district from 1993 to 2013. Maloney was the first woman to represent New York City's 7th Council district (where she was the first woman to give birth while in office). On October 17, 2019, Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Maloney to become acting chair of the House Oversight Committee after the death of Elijah Cummings.
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney
